Ornamental packaging container for bottles and drinking glasses

ABSTRACT

A packaging arrangement for supporting a plurality of glasses in a position around the neck of a bottle carried within a container. The carrier for the glasses includes an upper cupshaped portion inverted to meet with an associated lower discshaped portion. Both portions have a central opening, so that the carrier can be slipped on and off the neck of the bottle. The cup-shaped portion has a plurality of openings which releasably support the glasses with a portion of the bottoms of glasses projecting above the carrier. A sleeve, which is designed to slip over the part of the neck of the bottle, laying above the glasses, is positioned between the lid of the container and the glasses. This sleeve has a plurality of flanges at its lower end which urge the glasses into the carrier and the carrier to a tight fit position on the bottle when the lid is closed on the container.

Jan. 23, 1973 United States Patent 191 Gabor et al.

ORNAMENTAL PACKAGING Primary Examiner-Josep'h R. Leclair CONTAINER FOR BOTTLES AND DRINKING GLASSES Assistant ExaminerSteven E. Lipman Attorney Spencer & Kaye [57] ABSTRACT A packaging arrangement for supporting a plurality of glasses in a position around the neck of a bottle car- Hungary ried within a container. The carrier for the glasses in- Filed: 1971 cludes an upper cup-shaped portion inverted to meet APPL NOJ 1 2 with an associated lower disc-shaped portion. Both portions have a central opening, so that the carrier can be slipped onand off the neck of the bottle. The

cup-shaped portion has a plurality of openings which releasably support the glasses with a portion of the [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 2,1970 Hungary..............................PA-l05l bottoms of glasses projecting above the carrier. A

[52] US. Cl.........................206/47 R, 206/4, 220/17 sleeve, which is designed to slip over the partof the Int. neck of the bottle above the glasses is o i- Field of Search..l90/12 R, 51; 206/1 R, 4, 47 R,

[ tioned between the lid of the container and the 206/47 B; 220/1123; 215/1 R glasses. This sleeve has a plurality of flanges at its lower end which urge the glasses into the carrier and the carrier to a tight fit position on the bottle when the lid is closed on the container.

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Dickens....................................206/4 .206/47 R Exton 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS l,347,l43 11/1963 France................................206/47R F11 iiiii'ii! iirllrlrilirlilllllirirllllilll PATENTEDJMI 23 1973 SHEET 1 0F 2 I/IlI/IIIII INVENTORS.

Zolton Gobor Fig.1

Jozsef Szonfq I Gyorgy Morhnl ATTORNEYS.

PATENTEUJMSIQ 3,712,462

SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTORS.

Zolton Gcbor dozszf Szonto Gyorgy Martini A Hunwyt ORNAMENTAL PACKAGING CONTAINER FOR BOTTLES AND DRINKING GLASSES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As it is well known, bottles of beverages are often sold in ornamental packages or containers. Also, these packages may include drinking glasses to provide special drink sets in which the glasses have the same shape or form as the beverage bottle. An example of this type of set is found in a package with a vermouth bottle and special vermouth glasses. Another example is a set of a typical brandy bottle with glasses to match the bottle.

A common type of package now used for these special drink sets consists of an ornamental carton in which each individual glass and the bottle are positioned and held in its own bed of a soft material such as foam rubber or the like. As can be appreciated this type of packaging is expensive and because of the size of the carton the package takes up a great deal of space and is cumbersome to handle and to store.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to eliminate the drawbacks found in presently-used packaging and to provide an ornamental carton for a beverage bottle in which the drinking glasses can also be safely and conveniently held.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for storing the bottles andthe glasses within the carton, so that the glasses can be conveniently handled.

The invention consists generally in the arrangement of a drinking glass carrier which can be pulled over the neck of a bottle which is to be packed in a carton, so that this carrier rides on the neck in the manner of a collar. The carrier includes an upper cup-shaped portion and a spaced lower disc-shaped portion, each with a central opening for receiving the neck of the bottle. The upper cup-shaped portion has a plurality of holes with diameters corresponding to the diameter of the glasses to be held. The carrier, and the glasses within the carrier, are firmly maintained in position on the bottle within the carton by means of a sleeve. This sleeve has a central opening so that it can be pulled down over the top portion of the bottle neck to lie between the topof the carton and the topsof the glasses in the carrier. This sleeve is pressed downward by the top lid of the carton as the lid is closed and flanges at the lower edge of the sleeve, engage the top of the glasses in the carrier. This action effectively seats the glasses in the carrier and also urges the upper and lower portions of the carrier to a holding position on the bottle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of a bottle and a glass carrier positioned within a carton.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of the glass carrier with the glasses in position as held on the bottle in a manner shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, showing the glass carrier inverted and with the bottles removed, so that they can be held in the manner of a tray.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail with an embodiment of the type shown in FIG. 1 wherein the bottle 3 is a typical brandy bottle. This bottle 3 is held upright in a cylindrical ornamental carton l which has a cup-shaped lid 2.

The drinking glass carrier for carrying a plurality of drinking glasses includes an upper cup-shaped portion, generally designated by the reference numeral 4, and a lower disc-shaped portion shown at 5. When in use on a bottle, as seen in FIG. 1, the upper cup-shaped portion is downwardly directed with the side walls 6 positioned adjacent the walls of the carton and having a mating engagement with the lower disc-shaped portion along the circumferential flange 7 thereof. There is a hole 8 at the'central portion of the base of the cup-shaped portion and there are also a plurality of holes 9 in the base for receiving the drinking glasses 10. As shown in FIG.

' l, the drinking glasses 10 are carried in the upper cupshaped portion 4 of the carrier with the bottoms of the glasses up and with the open ends of the glasses down.

The disc-shaped portion 5 of the carrier also has a central hole or opening 11 as well as a plurality of recesses 12 along the lower side of the disc when the disc is in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As seen in FIG. 1, the carrier is positioned on the neck of the bottle 3 with the drinking glasses inverted and held within the upper cup-shaped portion 4 of the carrier. In order to flrmly'hold the glasses within the carrier, and also hold the carrier downward on the outwardly flared portions 13 of the bottle 3, there is a sleeve 14 with flanges 15 designed to bear against the bottom of the glasses l0 and to be received on the upper portion of the neck of the bottle. As best shown in FIG. 1, this sleeve 14 is held down by the lid 2 on the carton. This insures that the flanges 15 are securely engage the bottoms of the glasses 10.

The handle 11' is provided for carrying the carton l in an upright position.

- An additional feature of the invention is disclosed'in FIG. 3 where the carrier has been shown as inverted from the position of the carrier shown in FIG. 2 and the position used when the carrier is enclosed within the carton. In FIG. 3, it can be seen that the disc-shaped portion 5 now lies with the recesses 12 upwardly positioned to receive the bottom portions of the drinking glasses 10. As thus used, the glasses are carried as on a tray.

In use, the glass carrier is positioned on the neck of the bottle, as seen on FIG. 1, and the glasses, in an inverted position, are received and suspended within openings 9 of the upper cup-shaped portion 4. Sleeve 14 is then pushed over the neck of the bottle 3, so that the flanges 15 are urged against the bottom surfaces of the drinking glasses 10 when the lid 2 is placed on carton l.

When it is desired to use the bottle and glasses, the

4 lid 2 is removed from carton l and the sleeve 14 is slid placed with their bottoms in the recesses 12 in the lower disc.shaped portion of the glass carrier. This position of use is shown in FIG. 3 where the glass carrier becomes, in effect, a tray for the glasses 10. As an alternative it is quite possible to use only the lower discshaped portion 5 as a tray after the upper cup-shaped portion 4 is separated from portion 5 of the carrier.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A packaging arrangement, comprising, in combination:

a. an upright container, having an upper edge forming an open upper end, and holding an upright bottle having a body and a neck;

b. an annular hollow carrier holding a plurality of drinking glasses, said carrier having spaced apart and generally parallel annular upper and annular lower wall members, said upper wall member having a plurality of openings supporting the drinking glasses in inverted position with at least part of each glass extending into the interior of said carrier, said upper and lower wall members having aligned center openings with said carrier being slipped on the neck of the bottle held in said container, said carrier, having its lower wall member resting in engagement with the body of the bottle immediately below the neck thereof and its upper wall member surrounding the neck of the bottle;

. a sleeve being slipped over the neck of the bottle in said container said sleeve having at its lower edge flange means for engaging the undersides of the inverted glasses held by said carrier, said sleeve having a free upper end; and

d. lid means for closing said upper end of said container and engaging said free upper end of said sleeve, in consequence of which the bottle and the glasses held by said carrier are immovably held in place within said container when the latter is closed by said lid means.

2. A packaging arrangement as in claim 1, wherein said lower wall member of said carrier is a disc-shaped element having an outer periphery, and wherein said upper wall member is part of an inverted cup-shaped element, the lower edge of the latter being connected to said periphery of said disc-shaped element.

3. A packaging arrangement as in claim 1, wherein said lower wall member of said carrier has a plurality of recesses in its underside, said recesses being of such diameter that the bottom of the drinking glasses can be received therein, in consequence of which said carrier, when removed from said container and inverted, may serve as a tray for the glasses. 

1. A packaging arrangement, comprising, in combination: a. an upright container, having an upper edge forming an open upper end, and holding an upright bottle having a body and a neck; b. an annular hollow carrier holding a plurality of drinking glasses, said carrier having spaced apart and generally parallel annular upper and annular lower wall members, said upper wall member having a plurality of openings supporting the drinking glasses in inverted position with at least part of each glass extending into the interior of said carrier, said upper and lower wall members having aligned center openings with said carrier being slipped on the neck of the bottle held in said container, said carrier, having its lower wall member resting in engagement with the body of the bottle immediately below the neck thereof and its upper wall member surrounding the neck of the bottle; c. a sleeve being slipped over the neck of the bottle in said container said sleeve having at its lower edge flange means for engaging the undersides of the inverted glasses held by said carrier, said sleeve having a free upper end; and d. lid means for closing said upper end of said container and engaging said free upper end of said sleeve, in consequence of which the bottle and the glasses held by said carrier are immovably held in place within said container when the latter is closed by said lid means.
 2. A packaging arrangement as in claim 1, wherein said lower wall member of said carrier is a disc-shaped element having an outer periphery, and wherein said upper wall member is part of an inverted cup-shaped element, the lower edge of the latter being connected to said periphery of said disc-shaped element.
 3. A packaging arrangement as in claim 1, wherein said lower wall member of said carrier has a plurality of recesses in its underside, said recesses being of such diameter that the bottom of the drinking glasses can be received therein, in consequence of which said carrier, when removed from said container and inverted, may serve as a tray for the glasses. 